Safety device for elevators.



Patented Apr. 29,` 1919.

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f n. EVAINGELISL SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATOHS'.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I3. I9I9.

I Patented Apr. 29, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2A l INVENTOR a; f

BYIu ATTOR NEY I D. EVANGELIST. SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

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, af auE- i l E? xNvENVToR j yD O M BYE ATTORNEY' "Ptented Apr. 1919, l

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE.

DoMINIcx EVANGELIST, or NEW tomi, n.1., AssIeNon; on 01m-HALF To THoMA's cos'rnrrzo, or NEW Yoax, N. Y.

SAFETY DEVICE Foa ELEvlLTns.

Specioation of Letters Patent.

ratenteuAp-r.. 29, i919.

Application led January 13, 1919. Serial No. 270,890;

To all'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, DOMINIGK EVANGE- LIST, a citizen ofthe United States, anda resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Safety Devices for Elevators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specilication.

This invention relates to a class of devices adapted to be used in conjunction with elevators.

My invention has for its object primarily to provide a safety device designed to be applied` to an elevator for serving to cause the car 'to stop during its travel in event of breakage of 4the cable so as to obviate the danger of injury to persons in the car at the time ofA occurrence of the accident.

is accomplished mainly by providing a frame in the upper part of the shaft well above the car of an elevator, and j ournaled in the framey are two shafts. 0n each of the shafts is held a sprocket wheel carrying a sprocket chain, and one of the ends of both sprocket chains are attached to the car, while on the second ends of the sprocket `chainsare wei bts which serve to counterbalance the weight of the car in the manner common to the operation of many types of passenger elevators. On each of the shafts isa brake which preferably includes a fric- 4tion disk. orwheel, and the disks are held to the shafts soi as to revolve with'the rotation of the yshafts which. are driven by the movements of the weights and sprocket` chains causing the sprocket wheels to=rotateg On the periphery7 of each of the disks is a strap, and associated with the cable of thecanis a mechanism which is operable in eventi ofthe cable being acci dentally se arated from the carto cause the straps to fiictionally engage the disks for checking-the rotation of the disks, shafts and sprocket `wheels whereby the sprocket chains will beheld to cause stopping of the move-v nient-'oflthe-xcar; in order to preventthe car from fallinga dangerous distance.

Another object, of :the invention isf'to' prov-ide an electrically operable controller whereby. the; mechanism may be oper'atedto release' the brakes for allowing the weights of' the sprocket chains to operate for' causing the chains to move so thatthe` car' will ltravel a desired distanceto'a landing should the car be stopped `between landings at the time of separation of `the cable; and still a further object ofthe invention is to provide a simple, efficient and durable-safety device adapted to be made :for effectual use in conjlinction'with elevators of different sizes.

With these and other objectsin view the invention will be hereinafter more particu larly described with reference to the accompanying drawings forming a par-t of this specification in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and will then be pointed out in the' claims at the end of the description.

In the drawings, 'Figure 1 is a fragmentary view showing an elevation ofV an elevator `with -one form 'of safety device embodyinggmy invention applied thereto.

'Figy 2`is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly broken away, showing a front`eleva tion ofthe safety device.

Fig. 3 is'lan enlarged fragmentary view, showing a top plan ofthe device with one of its weights removed therefrom.

Fig. elis an enlarged side elevation'` partly fragmentary of the device, and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the electric circuit and associate parts of the controller employed in `conjunction with the device.

The safety device-has a frame 10 'which is made off a size tobe freely accommodated as well as being Amounted in the upper part of theshaft well .llof .an elevator, asv 1Q, having the` usuali guideails, as 13 and 14, between which the elevator car, as 15, is caused tortravel in. tlie well upwardly and downwardly by one'or morecables, as 15, being. attached: to the roof ofi thel car and thenwrap e'd on a drum,as 16,` which may be drivenriiyi any suitable vvovver propelling means for operating theca le fand'car -in'the well `kndwn..ma-nner. 'llheframe lO'has a base plate :17 which is `preferably substan tia-llfrectangular-,andthe frameffis mounted int e shaftwellso that. the front part of the base plate iss-directly :abovelthe carlofthe'i elevator. Projecting" upwardlyv from the' other standards 21 and 22 having their upper ends also connected b a cross rail 23. In the center part 'of the hase-plate and above the cable 15 of the elevator is an opening in which is held a bearing24 the passage through which is on a vertical line with the cable, and projecting upwardly from the base plate between the bearing 24 and cross rail 23 is a post 25 which extends some distance above the cross rails.

, In thegstandards 18 and 21 as well as in the cross rails 20 and 23 is journaled a shaft 26, and inthe standards 19 and 22 as well as in the cross rails 20 and23 is journaled another shaft l27. On the shaft 26 adjacent to the cross rail-2.3 is held a sprocket wheel 28, and on the shaft 27 also adjacent tothe cross rail 23 is held a second sprocket wheel 29. A sprocket chain 30 is carried on the sprocket wheel 28, andone end of this chain is secured to the top of the car of the elevator, while on the sprocket wheel 29 is carried a sprocket chain 31 having one of its endsv also fastened to the top of the car. Both of the sprocket c hains are of lengths so that their second ends extend from the sprocket wheels downwardly in the shaft well 11 of the elevator, and on the second ends of the sprocket chains are provided suitable weights, as 32 and 33, adaptedv to counterbalance in the usual manner the weight of the car. By providing the sprocket wheels 28 and 29, the sprocket chains 30 and -31 with the weights 32 and 33 in this fashion these parts will operate with the travel of the car, and in turn the shafts 26 and 27 will be revolved by the rotation of the sprocket wheels. Furthermore, in event of the car being separated from its cable, and by stopping the rotation of the shafts and sprocket wheels the movements ofthe sprocket chains 30 and 31 with the weights will likewise be sto ped. The travel of the car will then be. chec ced, and to check 4the rotation of lthe shafts 26 andl 27 two brakes, as 34 and 35are provided.

` The brakes -34 and 35 may be of any suitable t'ypes, though I preferably employ forms of the brakes each of which includes a disk or wheel 36. The disks areheld re-y spectively on the central part of each of the shafts 26 and 27, and on the periphery of each of the disks is a friction strap 37. Both of thesev straps are arranged on the disks-so that their ends protrude 'toward each other as well as-being'ldisposed toward the post 25 of the frame 10. "Theends of the strap 37 ofthe brake 34 are ypivotallyat'- taehed` to the ends :of two spaced lugs or fingers, as 39. and 40, which protrude from a sleeve or knuckle' 41 revoluble` on a shaft or rod 42 arrangedl between the'l cross rails 20 and 23of the frame 10 andtlie ends of the strap 37 of the brake 35 are'pivota-lly attached to the ends of. two. spaced lugs or fingers 43 and 44 projected from a sleeve or knuckle 45 which is rotatable on a shaft or 'rod 46 held also between the cross rails 2O and 23. The strap 38 and the knuckles 41 and 45 are so proportioned, besides being arranged so that when the spaced lugs are swung upwardly the straps will tightll` 0n the disks 36 of the brakes to "fri'ctionally prevent the rotation of the disks, and in turn the operation of the shafts 26 and 27 sprocket wheels 28 and 29, and sprocket chains 3() and 31 will be stopped. The movements of the weights 32 and 3'3 will also be stopped for checking the travel of the car, the brakes being so proportioned with respect to the weight of the car that their functioning will cause the ear to stop within a reasonable and safe distance. In order to operate the brakes 34 and 35 to check the car should the cable 15a be accidentally severed, a mechanism, as 47, is provided.

The mechanism 47 consists preferably of a shaft 48 which is reciprocable in the bearing 24 of the frame 10, and on the lower end of this shaft is provided a pullley 49 over which the cable 15a is movable, the pulley being ar-v ranged at a suitable position between the car and the cable drum `16. To the upper end of the shaft 48 is pivoted, at 50, the lower end of a link 51, and to the upper end of the link is pivoted, at 52, one end of a lever or bar 53 having a part intermediate its ends fulcruIned, at 54, tothe central p art of the post 25 of the frame 10,r and on the second end of the bar is a ball or weight 55.` The barv may be movably disposed through an opening in the post 25 so that the bar andthe weight 55 will be disposed above the rear part of the base plate 17 of the frame of the device. The weight 55 is suiicient to cause the link 51 and shaft 48 to properly support vthe cable 15a during its movements, and the weight also sufficiently heavy so lthat the strain4 on the cable will cause the bar 53 and the weight to be normally held on an upward incline above the base plate of the frame, as shown in. Fig. '4. To' a pin 56 provided on the centralpart of thelink 51 is slidablypivoted the slotted bifurcated end 57 of a lbar 58 which extendsrightangularly from the link to the" rear edge of the base plate 17 of the frame, and the second end of the bar 58 is pivoted, at 59, to the pronged upper end of an upwardly extend-ing arm 60 of a bracket 61 whichis provided on the base plate of the frame at its rear edge. To the centralpart of the bar -58'is pivoted, at 62," the pronged lower end of ayertically disposedfbar v63 having a bifurcatedfupper end which is; pivoted, at 64, to a 'rocking lever 65-having its central part fulcrumed, at 66, to theupper end ofthe/post 25 of the frame soithffrt the second .end of the'rocking lever termin-ifea o'n approximately a vertical line with relation to the pivoted end of the bar' 53 of the weight. The vertical bar 63 is 0f adength so thatvthe-rocking lever is disposed on an `lever 65 is slidably pivoted, at 68, the upper end ef a sli-ort bar 69 depending downward the arm 714 is slotted, at 73.

from the lever, and on the lower end of the bar (59 are two diverging downwardly -disposed `arms 70 and 71 which protrude toward the knuckles V41 and 45. The free end ofthe arm 7() is slotted, at 7 2, and thelfree end of Slidably pivoted, at 74,. to vthe slotted end-of the arm 70 is one end of a rod or bar 75 having the knuckle formed on its other end,land to the slotted end 0f the arm 71 is slidably pivoted., at 76, one endof another rod or bar 77 having its second end formed on the knuckle 41 so that the rods are relatively disposed across each other in somewhatv the fashion of aV lazy tong, and the arms and 71 of the bar 69 are disposed between these rods. The `knuckles 41 rand are provided on the rods and 77 .so that when the rods are moved in `downward .directions the knuckles will be rotated on .their shaft for causing the lingers ofthe` knuckles. to be swun in upward direc tions -and alsorfroln the dis is 3.6 ofthe brakes 34 and `35 so that the straps 37 of the brakes ivilllfrictionally engage the disks, and when therods are moved upwardly the knuckles `Will-be reversely swung to free the. frietional engagement of the straps with the disks. Servlng to force the rods 75 and 77 in downwardly directionsfor causing the knuckles 41 and 45 to be normally positioned so that the straps of the brakes are out of frictional engagement with the disks of the brakes, to the rod 75 in proximity to its pivot 74 is held the. upper .end of .a spring, as 7 8, having itsA lower endheldmo the base plate 17 of the frame 10, and to-the rod 77 yadjacent to its pivot 76 is held the upper' end cfa sprin as 7 9 havin its lower end V,also held to the ase plateof-t eframe.` l

Should the cable 15 accidentally be severed from the elevator. carthe. mechanism 47 Will operate to prevent the car from falling by the weightbeing low-.ered when the strain. of the cable :by its breakage relievesl theI load upon-the shaft 48. Withthe loweringof. the weightr the `pivoted endofits bar withY the link 51, shaft 48 andthe slotted lend 57 Vofthe bar .58 will be moved upwardly.

The vertical barI 63will likewise be guided in fanY.upward direction, and the rocking lever 65 will be `moved so that` its .slotted end '67 willbe swungdownwardly. The arms 70 `and 71 of the short bar 6.9 .will likewise vbeniovedYdovvimfardly. and the1rodsi75 and .,77Qwill be forced in .similar di recti0ns,. the

teus ,n oj' springs78ia1id 79 also tending .te assist,npailsi-agithese ands .ta-move ydownward directions. The knuckles 41 and 45 will` then be swung on the shaftsf42and 46 soy that-.their fingers will be swung, upwardly as well Vas in a direction away from the disks .36 of the brakes 34 and 35. The straps 37 will thereby be broughtzinto frictional engagement with the disks .which in turn ywill cease to revolve for stopping the rotation of the sbatte QG and 27. The rotation of the sprocket wheels 28 and 29 will also be stopped, and the movements of the sprocket chains ,30 and 31 .with the Weigl'lts 32 and 33 will be checked for holding the car of the elevator to prevent it from falling in the elevater shaft.

To allow the car to be moved to a suitable landing or `exit of the elevator in event of the car being stopped between the landings, a controller, as 80, is provided. The controller preferably consists of an electriccin cuit which may .lead from. any suitable source of electricity supply, such as from a battery, as 81. From one terminal of the battery is a Wire 82 leading to the binding post 83 which is wired to a magnet 84 provided on the bracket 61 of the base plate 1'7 of theirame of the device under the bar 58 of the mechanism 47. The magnet is also wired to a second bindingpostS provided on the bracket 61, and from this binding st. is a wire 86 which-may lead to a metallic rail 87 which is insulated and held in the elevator ,shaitwell In -movable contact with the raill87 is a shoe, as 88, which is-pro vided on as Well as being insulated from the elevator car 15, and from this shoe is-a Wire 89 leading to a contact 90 adapted to be'engaged by a normally open switch 91 which may be of a 'well known push-button type arranged at a convenient part interiorly of the elevator car. To the switch is connected one end of a .wire-92 leading to ground, as 93, ,which may be a suitable part othe elevator car,V and to the second terminal of the `battery is connected a wire 94- also leading .toground,.as 95,'which may-be lat another lsuitable .part of the elevator. In the` bar 58 `ofthe mechanism 47 is an armature 96 itis. desired to cause the car15 to be moved a ,given distance following being stopped .by the mechanism 47, as .above explained,

the switch 91 is moved into engagement witnthe-.contact90.. "The circuit will then -closed from `one,terminal.of the battery.

81 overwire. 82 throughfthe binding 9081183 to and :throughthe magnet84, overwvire 86,.overpthe;rail.87,xthrough the shoe 88, overithezwire 89,-through thefswitch 91 and einer the :wire ,9.2 teP ground. From the ond terminal of the battery the circuit will be closed over the wire 94 also to round, and the magnet thereby being energized the armature 96 will be attracted to its core. With this movement of the armature the bars 58 and 63 will be swun downwardly, and the rocking lever wil be swung to cause the rods and 77 to move for sw1nging the knuckles 41 and 45 to release the straps 37 from their engagement with the disks 63 of the brakes 34 and 35. The weights 32 and 33 will then cause the sprocket chains 30 and 31 to be moved for rotating the sprocket wheels 28, 29 and the shafts 26, 27, and the car of the elevator will be accordingly moved a suitable distance to a landing to allow the occupants of the car to depart therefrom. With the opening of the switch to cutoff the current the armature 96 will be released from the magnet to allow the weight tooperate for open ating the mechanism 47 to again operate the brakes 34 and 35 for bringing the car to a standstill. Thus a very simple and eiiie cient safety device is provided for preventing the car of an elevator from dangerously falling should the cable of the car be accidentally severed from the car.

` In the foregoing description, I have embodied the preferred form of my invention, but I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, as I amV aware that modifilcations may be made therein without departing from the principle or sacrificing any ofl the advantages of this invention, therefore I reserve to myself the right to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope thereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination of a frame mounted in the upper part of the shaft over the car of the elevator, two spaced shafts journaled in the frame, two sprocket wheels one fixed on each shaft, two sprocket chains on each ls rocket wheel and one of the ends of the c ains being held to the car of the elevator so that the chains will move with the travel of the car to rotate the sprocket wheels and the shafts, two weights one on the second end of each chain to'counterbalance the car, two brakes onei'on each of said shafts, mechanism on the frame, associated with the cable of the car, said mechanism being o erable with the separation of the cable rom the car to cause the brakes to operate whereby` the rotation `of the shafts and sprocket wheels will be' checked to stop the travel of the Icar byv stopping, the movement of -theV sprocket chains and their'weights, a

normally open electric circuit, a magnet vte'rposed in theecircuit andfas'socia'ted with the mechanism, and a switch in the car also interposed Uin thecircuit, said switch being operable to close the circuit to energize the magnet for causing the mechanism to be reversely operated whereby the brakes will be released to allow the weights to move the car.

2. The combination of a frame' mounted in the upper part of the shaft over the car of the elevator, two spaced shafts journaled in the frame, two sprocket wheels one fixed on each shaft, two sprocket chains one on each sprocket wheel and one of the ends of the chains being held to the car of the elevator so that the chains will move with the travel of the car to rotate the sprocket wheels and the shafts, two weights'one on the second end of each chain to counterbalance the car, two brakes one on each of said shafts, an upwardly and downwardly movable weight, mechanism on the frame, associated with the cable of the car, said mechanism being operable by the lowering of the weight with the separation of the cable from the car to cause the brakes to operate where by the rotation of the shafts and sprocket wheels will be cheeked to stop the travel of the car by stopping the movement of the sprocket vchains and their weights, a normally open electric circuit, a magnet interposed in the circuit and associated with the mechanism, and aswitch in the car also interposed in the circuit, said switch being op erable to close the circuit to energize the magnet for causing the mechanism to be reversely operated whereby the brakes will be released to allow the weights to move the car.

3. The combination of a frame mounted in the upper part of the shaft over the car of the elevator, two spaced shafts journaled in the frame, two sprocket wheels one fixed on each shaft, two sprocket chains one on each sprocket wheel and one of the ends of the chains being held to the car of the elevator so that the chains will move with the travel of the car to rotate the sprocket wheels and the shafts, two weights one on the second end of each chain to counterbalance the car, two disks one on each of said shafts and both being rotatable with the rotation of the shafts, two friction straps one on the periphery of each disk, mechanism on the frame, associated with the cable of the car, said mechanism being operable with the separation of the cable from the car to cause the straps to frictionally engage the diskswhereby the rotation of the disks,r shafts and sprocketwheels will be checked to stop the travel of thecar by stoppingthe movement of the sprocket chains and their weights, a 4

normally open electric circuit, a magnet interposed in the circuit and yassociated with operable to close the circuit4 to energize the magnet for causing the mechanism to be re:-

versely operated whereby the brakes will be released to allow the weights to move the car.

4. The combination of a frame mounted in the upper part of the shaft over the car of the elevator, two spaced shafts journaled in the frame, two sprocket wheels one xed on each shaft, two sprocket chains one on each sprocket Wheel and one of the ends of -the chains being held to the car of the elevation of the cable from the car said means will operate to cause the lever to rock for operato ing the brake operative means as well as operating the brakes to 'stop the travel of the car by stopping the movement of the sprocket chains and their weights, a normally open electric circuit, a magnet interposed in the circuit. and associated with the means for operating the second end of the rocking lever, and a switch in the car also interposed in the circuit, said switch being operable to close the circuit to energize the magnet for causing the lever to be reversely rocked whereby the brakes will be released to allow the weights to move the car.

5. The combination of a frame mounted in the upper part of the shaft over the car of the elevator, two movable weights counterbalancing the car, two brakes on the frame, means associated With the brakes and with the weights to stop the movements of tlie'weights for checking the car, mechanism on the frame, associated with the cable of the car, said mechanism being operable with the separation of the cable :trom the car to cause the brakes and said means to operate whereby the travel of the car will be stop ed by stopping the movements of the weig ts, a normally open electric circuit, a magnet interposed in the circuit and associated with the mechanism, and a switch in the ear also interposed in the circuit, said switch being operable to close the circuit to energize the magnet for causin the mechanism to be reversely operated w ereby the brakes will be released to allow the weights to move the car.

6. The combination of a frame adapted to be mounted in the upper part of the shaft over the car of the elevator, two movable weights counterbalancing the car, two brakes on the frame associated withthe weights, mechanism on the frame, associated with the cable of the car, said mechanism being operable with the se aration of the cable from the car to cause t e brakes to operate where by the travel of the car will be stopped by stopping the movements of the weights, a normally open electric circuit, a magnet interposed in the circuit and associated with the mechanism, and a switch in the car also `interposed in the circuit, said switch being operable to close the circuit to energize the magnet for causing the mechanism to be reversely operated whereby the brakes will be released to allow the weights to move the car. This specification signed and witnessed this 11th day of January A. D. 1919.

DOMINICK EVANGELIST. Witnesses:

J. FREDERICK CRYER, K. KonPER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

i Washington, D. 0. 

